The US Under-17s are out of the Fifa U-17 World Cup after a tough loss to Italy.  I saw less of their World Cup play than I wanted, but a few thoughts remain hard to shake.

Maturity is over-rated at least in soccer.  The game against the UAE reminded me most why watching the occasional youth game is so refreshing: even in a pressure situation the 'kids' tend to play with an offense-first mindset and a penchant for flair that will very likely (and sadly) be taught out of them in the pro ranks.

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Houston and Seattle played a classic match last night on national television. The unsporting Freddy Montero was unable to hand the physical pounding Dom Kinnear and the Houston defenders had in store for the much hyped, but little regarded (at least in Colombia) forward. Montero's solution: whine and go to ground easily.

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Bryan Arguez. Giuseppe Nazzani. Vincenzo Bernardo. Am I the only one who doesn't think NCAA soccer is a step up from training with professionals and playing in Italian/German youth leagues? I can't help but wonder which one of these kids is going to elect to represent another country because of Rongen's latest snub.

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This post originally ran on our sister blog, Fire Alexi Lalas, last week. Since it is related to the USMNT, we thought we'd re-post it here on Project 2010. The USSF can be pretty depressing. While certain problems are to be expected due to the relative youth and lack of resources of US Soccer, others [. Click to continue reading...

The USSF can be pretty depressing. While certain problems are to be expected due to the relative youth and lack of resources of US Soccer, others are just baffling. My biggest complaint of all is the inability of the USSF to part ways with personel. Senior national team coaches are guaranteed a minimum of four years.

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We here at P2010 found an interesting article this morning on the next American up-and-comer and newer/better version of Charles Renken, Joseph Gyau.  In all seriousness, it's a good article about a player we knew little about.  And we, for two, are very excited about this kid. That said, the article was a little depressing at [. Click to continue reading...

Most people in the US who follow soccer closely know that the U.S. Under-17 residency program in Bradenton, Florida has produced many of the best players in American soccer. They have seen the likes of Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu and many other noteable names that are either in MLS or in Europe. U.S. Under-17 head coach [. Click to continue reading...